Business machines

ABSTRACT

A cash register is provided with a flexible plastic digit tape to interconnect the cash register display with the selected depressed digit keys. The plastic digit tapes are very flexible and lightweight, and are operated to transmit force under tension to avoid binding and frictional forces. The digit tape is deflected down at the rear of the register to save space. The accumulator is moved down to engage the tape and to the rear to transfer to the display. Both the accumulator and the display assemblies have interleaved indicator wheels having different indications, with the wheel spacing and movement being unitarily related to the keyboard spacing. A combined ADD and TOTAL control, operating upon a cam-cam follower assembly is used to initiate the two modes of operation of the cash register to perform ADD cycles and TOTAL cycles of operation. Light duty components and simple controls, compatible with the low inertia of the digit tapes are used throughout the cash register.

United States Patent [1 1 [11] 3,752,392 Oldenburg Aug. M, 1973 BUSINESSMACHINES Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson [75] Inventor: Kenneth F.Oldenburg, Arcadia, Amstam Bummer-U Weldon Calif.

[73] Assignee: Litton Business Systems, Inc., New

York, NY.

[22] Filed: Jan. 6, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 215,876

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 50,064, June 26,1970.

[52] US. Cl 235/7-R, 235/61 R, 235/23 RC, 235/1 A [51] Int. Cl. G07g1/00 [58] Field of Search 235/1 R, l A, l C, 235/23 RC, 2 R, 7 R, 7 A,23 R, 61 R [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,812,020 6/1931Robertson 235/23 RC 2,083,200 6/1937 Modes et al. 235/7 R X 2,107,0332/1938 Garbell 235/23 RC 2,746,678 5/l956 Reynolds 235/1 A X 3,010,65211/1961 Heuver et al. 23511 A X 400 ACCA/ML/L/fffiZ.

(ml/(fa Attomey-Alan C. Rose et a1.

[ ABSTRACT A cash register is provided with a flexible plastic digittape to interconnect the cash register display with the selecteddepressed digit keys. The plastic digit tapes are very flexible andlightweight, and are operated to transmit force under tension to avoidbinding and frictional forces. The digit tape is deflected down at therear of the register to save space. The accumulator is moved down toengage the tape and to the rear to transfer to the display. Both theaccumulator and the display assemblies have interleaved indicator wheelshaving different indications, with the wheel spacing and movement beingunitarily related to the keyboard spacing. A combined ADD and TOTALcontrol, operating upon a cam-cam follower assembly is used to initiatethe two modes of operation of the cash register to perform ADD cyclesand TOTAL cycles of operation. Light duty components and simplecontrols, compatible with the low inertia of the digit tapes are usedthroughout the cash register.

5 Claims, 29 Drawing Figures 757%: Airman/Mme.

Z/VE' wa/amz WWI/$165426 .02/1/5 jzzraz Z38 ill/I66 65412 Patented Aug.14, 1973 3,752,392

7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jaw/ma 470,2 .5455 4N0 77MEZ 65/12 fan may 4&0

Patented Aug. 14, 1973 3,752,392

7 Sheets-Sheet 2 m I mmmnmw Patented Aug. 14, 1973 7 Sheets-Sheet 5Patented Aug. 14, 1973 v 3,752,392

7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Mir jaw/Wm me Patented Aug. 14, 1973 3,752,392

7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Mama/M702- BUSINESS MACHINES FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis is a division of application Ser. No. 50,064, filed June 26, 1970.

This invention relates to business machines, such as cash registerswhich utilize a keyboard, and which have an indicator to display digitalinformation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION, INCLUDING BRIEF COMPARISON WITH PRIOR ARTInstead of the rigid racks which are in general use to control thedisplay in accordance with keyboard selection, the present businessmachine employs flexible plastic tapes. In the illustrative businessmachine, i.e. the cash register, described herein, these flexibleplastic tapes have amass which is about 1/250 of the mass of the usualracks which are employed, thus permitting the use of less power andmechanisms which require much less power handling capability. The tapesare advantageously operated to transmit power under tension, thusavoiding binding and increased friction. In addition, the flexible tapesmay be diverted at the end of their travel to permit direct coupling ofthe tapes to the indicator wheels rather than the usual complex gearingarrangements without extending the length of the cash register. The lowpower requirements of the machine provide advantages in the associatedactuating equipment such as the. keyboard and the timing and powerarrangements. The digital indicating arrangements include coaxialinterleaved indicator wheels which may be selectively read. This directcoupling has advantages in reducing machine tolerances as well assimplifying the structure.

In cash registers which are in general use today, most of the parts aremade of metal, and the entire machines are built with high powerrequirements and heavy mechanical loading throughout. In accordance withthe principles which are employed in accordance with the presentinvention, however, plastic parts are widely employed and their specialproperties of lightness and flexibility are utilized to greatly reducethe complexity and power requirements of cash registers.

In accordance with a particular feature of the invention, flexiblelightweight perforated digit selection tapes are employed in place ofthe toothed metal racks to control the cash register indicator displayresulting from keyboard entries.

Each digit selection tape and its associated movable structure isapproximately 1/250 of the weight and inertia of the correspondingstructure found in commercially available cash registers. In addition,the flexible tapes are bent down at the rear of the machine so thatthelongitudinal displacement of the tapes may be equal to'the keyseparation on the keyboard, and the surface movement of the indicatorwheels corresponds to the tape movement and to the digit spacing on thekeyboard. This equal increment" configuration significantly reduces therequired number of parts, and greatly simplifies the mechanics of thecash register, without the increase in size of depth of the cashregister which would be required to accommodate the travel of .rigidracks, in an equal increment configuration.

Other features of the invention relating to the flexible tapes include:the key stops which are secured to the ends of thetapes and whichutilize the resilience of the tape to provide spring action to by-passthe keys on the return cycle; the constraint of the tapes to providechanneled mechanical action without significant moving mass; and thetransmission of power through the tapes under tension rather than undercompression. In addition, the continuous engagement of the tapes withthe indicator wheels is an important feature of the inventioncontributing to simplicity. The actuation of the accumulator on theforward stroke of the tapes, while in continuous engagement with theindicator wheels is another important related feature which avoids thenecessity for a supplemental totalling cycle, such as that found inexpired U.S. Pat. No. 2,066,669, granted Jan. 5, 1937, which showscontinuously engaged racks and display indicators.

In addition to the flexible digit tapes, the present invention involvesthe other three principal components of the cash register which coactwith the flexible digit tapes. These include the keyboard, theaccumulator, and the indicator or display assembly. The accumulator andthe display assemblies both utilize indicator wheels having outersurfaces which rotate a distance equal to the travel of the associateddigit tapes. The accumulator assembly and the display assembly bothinclude two sets of interleaved indicator wheels which are mounted onthe same shaft and have two sets of digital information mounted oninterleaved indicator wheels. In the case of the accumulator, theinformation is the item total (alternatively designated the subtotalthroughout this specification) and the grand total, while in the case ofthe clerk and customer indicator or display wheels, one set ofinterleaved wheels carries the display for the sales clerk and the otherfor the customer. In both cases, arrangements are provided for spacedwindows to selectively view either of the two sets of digitalinformation while blocking the other set of information.

In connection with the keyboard assembly, the individual keys are oflightweight plastic design matching the low inertia of the digit tapesand have an integral spring retaining clip built into their structure.The keyboard assembly includes only a single spring for biasing each ofthe keys in a key row to its normal position, and this same springserves to bias the interlock slides to their proper positions. As in thecase of the other major subcomponents of the cash register, the entirekeyboard assembly is mounted on shafts, for simplicity in assembly tothe side frame members of the cash register.

As noted above, simple spacing arrangements are characteristic of themachine, and this may also be observed in the identical spacing betweenadjacent key rows and adjacent display indications. The direct couplingand simply internal structure of the cash register produce and reinforcethese simplifications, and the resulting economies.

The accumulator assembly moves down from its neutral position intoengagement with the digit tapes and moves to the rear for transferringinformation to the indicator display. A particularly simple controlsystem involving very few parts is employed for these mechanicaloperations. One interesting minor feature involves the single ADD orTOTAL control member which has a resilient output arm, permitting adesign in which the end of the arm may be locked in-place, and furtheractuation of the ADD or TOTAL control merely bends the resilient arm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects, features and advantagesof the invention will become apparent from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description and from the drawings in which:

FIG. I is an assembly view showing the complete cash register togetherwith the cash drawer on which it stands;

FIG. 1A is a fragmentary top view showing the operator and customerviewing windows;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the operating portions of the cashregister of FIG. 1 without the cash drawer and with the cover removed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the keyboard assemy;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a single key row; FIG. 5 is an end view of thekey row shown in FIG.

FIG. 5A shows a single key of the keyboard;

FIG. 6 is a view of the two slides which prevent actuation of any otherkeys and provide other functions when one cash register key in a givenkey row is depressed;

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the mode of operation of the flexibledigit tapes;

FIG. 8 shows the by-pass stops secured to the ends of each digit tape;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the digit tapes and their stops;

FIG. 10 shows the tape constraining frame or assembly cut away to showseveral of the tapes;

FIG. 11 shows the accumulator assembly and the engagement with the digittapes;

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the display assembly;

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the relationships ofthe principal components of the cash register;

FIG. 14 is a side view of the register which shows the accumulatormovement control arrangements to advantage;

FIGS. 15, 16, 16A, and 16B are various views of the accumulator controltiming gear and the associated accumulator camming control gears;

FIG. 17 shows the drive line including the gears which engage theperforations in the flexible digit tapes;

FIG. 18 shows a positively driven disc and drive gear pair, which arecoupled together by a spring biased pawl;

FIG. 19 shows the drive sector gear and the driven gear at one end ofthe drive line;

FIG. 20 shows an accumulator gear together with the stop mechanism whichcome into play as information is being transferred from the accumulatorto the dis- DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring more particularly to thedrawings, FIG. .1 shows the cash register assembly standing on the cashdrawer assembly 42. The viewing window 43 for the clerk. and 45 for thecustomer are shown in FIG. IA. As seen in both FIGS. 1 and 2, the cashregister in cludes a keyboard assembly 100, a base and power unit 200,an indicator or display assembly 300 and an accumulator assembly 400.Also visible in FIG. 2 are the ADD or TOTAL control member 450 whichdetermines the mode of operation of the accumulator 400, as implementedby the accumulator timing gear 460 and its associated mechanicalmechanisms.

With reference to FIG. 3, the keyboard 100 includes a plurality of keyrows 101 through 106. The individual key row moldings are provided withrecesses at opposite ends for ease in mounting the key rows side by sideon the shafts 112 and 114. As mentioned above, most of the majorsubcomponents of the present cash register are mounted on shafts forready assembly with the side plates of the base unit 200.

As shown to better advantage in FIGS. 4, 5, 5A and 6, each key row 101through 106 may be provided with a set of nine keys 121 and 129, withkey 122 being depressed-in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 4. Eachkey row is also provided with two interlock slides 132 and 134, shown inFIG. 6. The key row assembly is provided with a single spiral biasingspring 136. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the biasing spring 136 extendsthrough the interlock slides 132 and 134 to bias them to their normalpositions. In addition, the biasing for each of the plastic keys 121through 129 is provided by the same single spring 136. As shown in FIG.4, for example, the spring 136 is extended at 138 to provide upwardpressure on the key 122 through the integral recess molded into the rearof the key 122. FIG. 5A

shows a key 122 separately, to indicate the structure of the integralkey. The head of the key, the spring 141 which holds the keys in frame101, the slide engaging stud 140, and the spring engaging recess 143 areall molded into the key as it is formed.

The lower end 142 of the key 122 protrudes below the key row assembly101 and below the interlock slides 132 and 134 to block the movement ofthe stop which is secured onto one end of the flexible tapes in a mannerto be discussed in greater detail below. The lightweight molded plastickeys 122 would normally not have sufficient strength to stop a heavymetal rack as employed in conventional cash registers. However, theflexible tapes which are used instead of racks in the present cashregister have such a light weight and such low inertia that there is noproblem with the end .142 of the lightweight plastic keys stopping theflexible plastic tapes.

Concerning the operation of the metal slides 132 and 134, the spring 136extends through slot 139 in slide 132 at the left-hand end of slide 132where there is no interference with slide 134. Similarly, the other endof spring 136 extends through slot 147 in slide 134 at its right-handend to avoid interference with slide 132 in the biasing or positioningfunction.

The sole function of slide 134 is to control the accumulator zero stop143. When none of the nine keys 121 through 129 of a key row isdepressed, the accumulator zero stop 143 is in one position; however,when any key, such as key 122, is depressed, the slide 134 is shifted tothe left and accumulator zero stop 143 is rotated to permit operation ofthe associated accumulator register.

The slide 132 provides interlocking functions. It is normally biased sothat the angle surfaces 144 underlie the key studs 140. When a key isdepressed, the stud 140 initially moves the locking slide 132 to theright and then enters the recess 146 which is below the slanted surface144.

Once the ADD or TOTAL key 450 is hit, the keyboard control shaft 150 isactuated to the left to engage the arm 152 which depends from the slide132. This moves the slide 132 to the left so that the flat surfaces 154on slide 132 underlie the studs 140 of the keys, and thus effectivelylock them out and prevent further action of the keyboard. Toward the endof each cycle, the shaft 150 is moved to the right to release all of thekeys.

It is again noted that the entire key row assembly only includes l4elements and particularly that only two slides are employed. This is insharp contrast with 53 parts included in the key row assembly of atleast one widely used commercial cash register. Further, the singlespir'al spring 136 not only provides the biasing for all of the keys ofeach key row but also biases the two slides 132 and 134 to their properpositions.

FIG. 7 shows schematically the mode of operation of the plastic tapes 60which form a key component in the present invention. In the course ofthe cycle of operation of the present cash register, the digit tapes arealways coupled to the display wheels of the indicator assembly 300. Whencash register operation is initiated by pressing the ADD" control, thedigit tapes are restored to their zero state in which the tapes areshifted to the front, or the left of the machine as shown in FIG. 7. Theflexible tapes are then driven forward by the drive line gears 202 untilthe stop 62 which is secured to the end of the tape 60 engages the lowerend ofa depressed key 126, as shown in FIG. 7. As the flexible digittape moves forward, the gears of the accumulator 400 are rotated, withthe gears of the item total accumulator engaging one of the sets ofperforations 64, while the gear teeth on the grand total accumulatorengage the other set of perforations 66 in the flexible plastic tape 60.When the stop 62 engages the lower end of the key 126, the drive line202 releases the force applied to the tape 60, as discussed in greaterdetail below, the indicator 300 displays the digit corresponding thedepressed key 126, and the accumulator 400 adds the digit in both theitem total and the grand total registers.

As the flexible tape is driven past the gears of the drive line 202, itis deflected downwardly by the tape constraining enclosure 204 and alsoengages the rear casing 206 of the cash register. By this technique, theuse of additional rearwardly extending space for the cash register toaccommodate the tapes is avoided, and the complexity of the step-up andstepdown gearing, which is required in present cash registers, is alsoeliminated. The dual goals of compactness and simplicity are thusachieved primarily by the use of very flexible tapes which are bentaround within the small confines of the present compact cash register.

The movable tape is provided with a plastic retaining element 68 for thestop 62. The retainer 68 extends through an openingin the tape 60 andserves as a carrier for the stop 62 When the tapes are driven to thezero" position so that the stop 62 moves to its extreme left or frontposition, the stop 62 must pass under a depressed key such as key 126 inFIG. 7. Under these conditions, it pivots downwardly, as indicated at inFIG. 8. Under these conditions, the tongue 72 of the tape 60 resilientlyflexes down also, as indicated in FIG. 8.

In FIG. 9, the thickness of the tape is exaggerated to some extent. Thetapes are actually about 0.020 inch thick. The tapes are 13% inches longand inch wide.

FIG. 10 shows the frame 204 which constrains the tapes 60 to follow arectilinear path in the regions where the stops 62 underlie the keyboard100. As shown in FIG. 10, the frame 204 is provided with slots 206through which the stops 62 extend to engage the lower ends of depressedkeys. In addition, the drive gears engage the tapes through the longslots 208 which are aligned with one of the sets of perforations in eachtape 60. The slots 210 accommodate accumulator transfer bails, whichcome into play when transfers are made from one register to the nexthigher order. The accumulator register gears engage the tapes 60 throughthe slots 214, with the item total gears engaging the right-hand row ofperforations, and the grand total gears, the left. The gears for drivingthe set of indicator wheels which are read by the clerk or the operatorof the cash register extend through the front of slots 208. The slots212 accommodate an accumulator detent. The shorterset of slots 216 whichare interleaved with the slots 208 are located between adjacent tapesand accommodate the gears which drive the customer indicator wheels asdescribed below.

In general, the frame 204 provides the support and channeling necessaryto constrain the plastic tapes 60 to the paths required for their properoperation. With the indicated physical configuration, the tapes 60 haveoperated several million times without physical signals of wear andwithout tape failure.

The accumulator assembly 400 is shown in FIG. 11. The grand totalregister includes the indicator wheels 40], 403, 405, etc., while thesubtotal is displayed on the indicator wheels 402, 404, 406, etc. Thegears secured to the indicator wheels 401, 403, 405, etc., associatedwith the grand total engage the right-hand set of performations on thedigit tapes 60 as shown in FIG. 1 1, while the gears associated with thesubtotal wheels 402, 404, 406 engage the left-hand set of perforationsof the tapes 60.

The view of FIG. 11 is taken from the rear of the machine looking downat the tapes 60 between the accumulator and the indicator wheels. Abovethe accumulator indicator wheels is a mask 412 containing a series ofwindows 414. The mask 414 is normally positioned so that the operator ofthe cash register may view the subtotal register on a particularcustomers sale through the windows 414. When the key locking the cashregister is employed, however, the mask 412 is shifted laterally topermit the viewing of the grand total register wheels through windows4114 to the exclusion of the subtotal.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the indicator or display assembly 300. Theindicator assembly includes two sets of interleaved indicator wheels,the first set 308 being visible from the front of the machine by theoperator, while the second set 310 is observable by the customer fromthe rear of the machine. In addition, of course, the position of thewheels having more or less significant numbers must be reversed, withthe least significant digit appearing to the right in the set of thewheels 308 observed by the clerk while the last significant digitobserved by the customer must be on the left-hand indicator wheels 310,as seen in FIG. 12.

As described below in connection with FIG. 13, the gears 306 in theaforeground are directly coupled to one of the two rows of perforationsin the tape 60. Gears 306 engage gears 312 associated with the clerkindicator wheels 308. The drive for the customer indicator wheels 310 issomewhat more complex as it involves the gears 304 (to the rear in FIG.12) which mesh with the gear teeth 314 associated with the customerindicator wheels 310. The shaft 316 upon which the indicator wheels 308and 310 are mounted is supported in the keyhole slot 318 as shown, forexample, in FIGS. 2 and 14.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross sectional view showing the relativepositions of most of the main rotatable components or assemblies.Following the application of power to the cash register when the ADD orTOTAL control is pressed, the motor 222 is coupled through a rubber belt224 to the power speed reducer assembly 226. An auxiliary hand-crankdrive coupling is also connected to the power speed reducer 226 throughgear 228. The cam line 230 is driven from gear 232 on the speed reducerassembly 226 through gear 236 on the cam line. The clutch gear 236 ismounted on the cam line assembly 230. The metal drive sector gear 238 ispivoted at 240 and is bent into a U-shaped form with a cam pin 242securely fastened to the inner leg 244 of the drive sector gearassembly. The pin 242 rides in a groove in a cam in the cam lineassembly 230. The power for the drive gears 246 is provided through theteeth 248 of the metal drive sector gear 238. These teeth 248 mesh withthe gear 250 which is fixed or pinned to the drive line shaft 252.

As in the case of a number of the assemblies of the present machine, thedrive line shaft 252 is cut away in two areas from end to end. The gear250 is provided with matching protrusions at its center. Accordingly, itis rigidly secured against rotational movement relative to the shaft252, and is pinned to this shaft. Where it is desired to mount otherfreely rotatable gears on other mechanisms on the same shaft, they maybe formed with a circular opening in the center. Without the keyingstructure to lock or pin them to the drive shaft 252, they are free torotate. Accordingly, a single shaft with longitudinal slots may serve adual purpose, acting both as a drive shaft and also as an axle for freerotation of other coaxially mounted elements.

From the drive gears 246, power is transmitted directly to theperforated tapes 60. As the sector gear fol-' lows the programmedcamming motion of the cam line assembly 230, the tapes 60 are initiallyrestored to their zero position and are then driven forward by the drive246 until they engage stops such as the lower end of depressed key 126(See FIG. 7). A clutching mechanism, to be described in greater detailbelow, then releases the drive to the individual tapes and permits thetape to remain in its position corresponding to the depressed digit key.

The accumulator assembly 400 has its principal axis located at point425. As indicated by the arrows, the accumulator may be moved down andup for engagement or disengagement, respectively, with the tapes 60, ormay be moved to the rear toward the indicator assembly 300 to transfertotals stored in the accumulator to the indicator assembly. The circles422, 424 and 426 in FIG. 13 represent the mechanisms involving gears,camming surfaces and a Geneva-type movement which control the movementof the accumulator registers. These mechanisms will be described ingreater detail below.

Included in the indicator assembly 300 are one set of indicator wheelswhich are visible by the customer and another set of indicator wheelswhich may be viewed by the clerk. The customer indicator wheels aredriven by the transfer gears 302 through a set of gears which aremounted for free rotation on the drive shaft 252 and which mesh with thecustomer indicator drive gears 304. The clerk indicator display wheels,however, are driven by the gears 306 directly from the tapes 60.

When information is being transferred from the accumulator registers tothe indicator assembly, the shaft 425 moves to the right and theindicator assembly is energized through the gears 308. Although thegears 306 are close to gears 308, there is clearance and no directinteraction between gears 306 and 308.

Many of the critical details of the structure shown schematically inFIG. 13 will be discussed in greater detail below in connection withother FIGURES in the drawing.

FIGS. 14 through 16 are particularly useful in describing the mode ofoperation of the accumulator 400. The accumulator can move eitherperpendicular to the keyboard or parallel to it. As indicated by thearrows and legends on the face of the accumulator side frame member 470in FIG. 14, the accumulator assembly moves up and down for engagementand disengagement with the digit tapes on ADD" cycles and moves to therear and forward in the course of TOTAL cycles in transferring thecontents of its subtotal register to the display unit 300. An ADD or aTOTAL cycle is initiated by pressing the key 450 in the forward or therear direction, respectively. The key 450 is pivoted at point 452 andhas a flexible arm 454 which is pivotally connected to the controllinkage 456 at point 458.

The central shaft 462, 10 which the timer gear 460 is secured, is fixedin position. When the ADD or TOTAL control lever 450 is pressed, thelinkage 456, which includes the frame 464 enclosing the timer gear 460,is moved to the front or the rear as indicated by the arrows adjacentthe numeral 464 in FIG. 14. On ADD cycles the frame 464 moves to therear and on TOTAL cycles the frame 464 moves toward the front of themachine. Between cycles the frame 464 is maintained in a position suchthat the shaft 462 is centrally located with respect to the slot 466. Inthe arrangement shown in FIG. 14, the relationship of the partsindicates that an ADD cycle is underway.

The movement of the accumulator is controlled by three eccentrics 472,473' and 474'. In FIG. 14, the numerals 473 and 474 are directed togears which conceal the eccentrics 473' and 474', which are locateddirectly behind them. As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the eccentrics aremounted to rotate in slots 476, 477 and 478. Three eccentrics (including474' FIG. 25) mounted on corresponding shafts are located at the otherside of the register. The eccentrics 472 and 474, which rotate in slots476 and 478, control the vertical movement of the accumulator on ADDcycles, while the eccentric 473 in slot 477 controls the horizontalmovement of the accumulator on TOTAL cycles. During ADD cycles eccentric473' is held against rotation while the gear 474 and coupled eccentrics474 and 472 are rotated to raise and lower the accumulator. Similarly,on TOTAL cycles the gear 473 and eccentric 473' are rotated while thegear 474 and eccentrics 474' and 472 are held against rotation toprovide guided horizontal movement. Eccentrics 474' and 472 are gearedto rotate together by gear 422 formed as part of a single molding witheccentric 474" (see FIG. 25) and gears 424 and 426 (see FIG. 13). Gears422 and 426 are pinned to their shafts, but idler gear 424 is free torotate on the shaft to which eccentrics 473' and 473" are secured.

The implementation of the described motion of the gears 474 may bebetter understood by reference to FIGS. 16, 16A and 16B. In FIG. 16A,the timer gear 460 is shown in solid lines in the ADD position. Underthese circumstances the gear 473 has two flat portions on its hub 480which engage the periphery of the ridge 482 on the timer gear topreclude rotation of the shaft 481 and its associated eccentric. Gear474, however, which controls the movement of an associated eccentric onshaft 484, and the mechanically coupled eccentric 472, areintermittently rotated. FIG. 168 shows the arrangements for selectivelyand intermittently locking and rotating the gears 473 or 474. In FIG.168, the gear 474 is shown with the flat portion 486 of its hub 488engaging a flat portion of the ridge 482. As the timer gear is rotated,the gear teeth 474 engage the teeth 490 on the timer gear. The ridge 482is cut away as indicated by the dashed lines 492 to permit rotation ofthe shaft 484 under the control of the meshing gears 474 and 490. Thisarrangement is shown as viewed from above in FIG. 16A.

As shown in FIG. 16, the timer gear 460 has two sets of gear teeth 490and 494 which engage the gear teeth 474 to first rotate the accumulatordown for engagement with the tapes and subsequently shift theaccumulator up to the disengaged rest position which it maintainsbetween cycles. During this complete ADD cycle, the central shaft 481and the eccentric which is associated with it and with gear 473 is heldagainst rotation by the flat portion on hub 480 being in continuousengagement with the periphery of ridge 482.

On TOTAL cycles, however, the function of gears 473 and 474 areinterchanged. This is accomplished by shifting the timing gear wheel 460to the position, as shown in dashed lines, in FIG. 16A. The flatportions on the hub 488 of gear 474 are continuously in engagement withthe periphery of ridge 482 when the timer gear is in this shiftedposition. However, the gear teeth 473 are now aligned with teeth 496 oftimer wheel 460 I and gear 473 is permitted to rotate as a result of thedisplacement and the presence of the recess 498 in the ridge 482adjacent the gear teeth 496.

The timer gear 460 is keyed to the shaft 462 but is permitted to slideback and forth as indicated by the solid and the dashed line showings ofFIG. 16A. In the neutral position, between cycles, the pins 502 and 504are located in contact with inclined faces on the timer gear wheelsurfaces shown at 506 in FIG. 16 of the drawings. When the ADD or TOTALcontrol 450 is pressed, the slide 464 moves from its neutral position sothat one of the pin such as 504 is visible in FIG. 14 is permitted toride in a track such as track 506 as shown in FIG. 16. The other pinwill then be located close to the hub of the timer gear 460 and willrotate on a raised surface in this location and will maintain pressureon the timer gear wheel 460 forcing it in the desired in or out"position for TOTAL or ADD cycle operations, respectively.

Incidentally, for completeness, it should be noted that the showing ofFIG. 15 is from above with the timer gear in the in" position for aTOTAL cycle. This is in contrast to the showing of FIG. 16A in which thesolid line position is the ADD position.

FIG. 17 is a rear view of the drive line including the various gearswhich are mounted on the central shaft 252 of the drive line assembly.As may be seen from FIG. 13, the drive shaft is located below the tapesso that the drive gears 246 may readily engage the tape toward the rearof the cash register as its path is deflected downward. As discussedabove in connection with FIG. 13, it is only alternate gear assemblies246 which have inner hubs which are pinned to the shaft 252 and whichrotate with it. The alternate gears 247 are mounted on the same shaft asthe drive gear assemblies 246 but are not pinned to it, so are free torotate about shaft 252.

As mentioned above, the customer indicator display wheels must berotated in synchronism with the clerk indicator display wheels, but thedigits are reversed in their position. To accommodate this purpose,transfer gears 302 are provided. Three transfer gears 302 are shownmounted on and pinned to shaft 303. The gear 302 is rotated with thedrive gear 246 and constrains the two other gears 302' and 302" torotate in synchronism with it. This causes the right-hand customerindicator drive gear 247 to rotate in step with the left-hand drive gear246 as shown in FIG. 17. Similarly, the printer gear wheel 602 is drivenby transfer gear 302" to establish proper information relating to theleast significant digit of the information registered by the lefthanddrive gear 246.

As shown in FIG. 18, the drive gears 246 are driven from the drive shaft252 through a drive hub 262 which is provided with a disc portion 264and a central cylindrical portion 266 which is keyed to the drive shaft252. The cylindrical central hub 268 of the drive gear assembly 246rotates on the cylinder 266. The pawl 270 is pivoted at 272 and isbiased to the indicated position by spring 274. This normally holds thebearing member 276 of the pawl assembly 270 in the pocket 278 of thedrive gear assembly.

Under normal conditions as an ADD cycle of the cash register isinitiated, the drive shaft 252 drives the drive hub 262 in the directionindicated by the arrow 280, in restoring the tapes to the 0 position.During this operation, of course, the teeth of drive gears 246 are inengagement with one of the sets of perforations in the digit tape 60.The direction is reversed as the tapes move toward engagement withdepressed keys. When the stop on the tape 60 engages a depressed key,the tape immediately stops. This stops the drive gear 246 and the biasof spring 274 is overcome, permitting the pawl 270 to come out of thepocket 278 and freely rotate in the recess 282 of the drive gearassembly 246. In this way, each drive gear 246 stops at an angularposition determined by the depressed keys on the keyboard.

With reference to FIG. 19, the metal drive sector gear 238 is shownpivotally mounted about the shaft 240 for movement under the control ofthe cam 292 having a cam slot 294 with which the pin 242 coacts. Theplastic main drive gear 250 is mounted on the drive shaft 252 forrotation in accordance with the movement of the drive sector gear 238,causing, for example, initial restoration of the tapes to the zeroposition and subsequent rearward movement of the tapes on the powerportion of the cycle.

- swings away from its restrained stop 434 toward the center hub 422 ofthe assembly, permitting continued rotation of the accumulator wheelassembly 402.

On TOTAL cycles, however, when the contents of the accumulator registerare being transferred to the display or indicator assembly 300, theaccumulator gear-assembly 402 rotates in the clockwise direction asindicated by arrow 436. The pawl 428 is mounted on pivot point438-which'is fixed to the stationary center assembly mounted on andpinned to shaft 424. This is in contrast to the gear and indicatorassemblies 402 which aremounted for free rotation on the same shaft 424.Accordingly, when the accumulator register is shiftedto the rear'ahddriven through gear 308 from power supplied'through the indicatorassembly gearing, the gears 402 rotate in the clockwise direction untilthe zero stop 432 engages the pawl 428. When this occurs, the release ofthe ,drive gears from the drive line, as discussed in detail-above inconnection with FIG. 18, oc-

' curs. Accordingly, the indicator wheels will stop-in a positioncorresponding to that which has been.registered in the accumulator TOTALregisters.-

FIG'. 21 shows themechanism for shifting the mask 412 as shown in FIG.11. In FIG. 21, the lock 522 controls the movementof the mask 412 Theblock 524 is fixed in position as is the support 526 for the spring 528Incidentally, the spring 528 is secured in an openin'gl530 in the mask412 to bias the mask to its position in which the subtotal rather thanthe grand total is re-, vealed. When akey is inserted into the key slot532, the cylindrical member 522 together with the cam 534 and the forkmember 536 secured to the mask 412 may be moved tothe right rear asshown in FIG. 21. This shifting of the mask 412 serves to revealthegrand total set ofindicator wheels instead of the subtotal, asdescribed in some detail in connection with FIG.. 11. When pressure isreleasedfrom the key, the slide is returned to the front left positionasshown in FIG. 21 by the force of the leaf spring 528. Removal of the keylocks the mask in place. v

FIG. 2,2 is a timing diagram showing the relative time of operation ofthe accumulator movement, the timer gear shifting, and the drive rackmotion. In reviewing the cycle from to the 360 termination of the cycle,with the degrees referring to the angular orientation of the timer gear460 and the cam 292 of FIG. 19, it may be noted that the drive racks areinitially restored, are

held in the 0 position from about 100 to about 140,

and digit selection takes place from about l40 to 280, The cam slot 294(See FIG. 19) of course follows the displacementsindicated in the DriveTape plot of FIG. 22.

When it occurs, the timer gear shifting takes place at an early point inthe cycle. However, the timer gear does not shift on successive ADDcycles, for example. When an ADD cycle is followed by a TOTAL cycle, orvice-versa, the timer gear is shifted from one position to the other asindicated by the solid line or the dash line plots.

The accumulator movement occurs between 1 and 140. This is the time whenthe accumulator is either moved down into engagement with the racks (nowin their 0 position) or to the rear into drive engagement with thedisplay assembly. Following completion of the i drive rack selection(which occurs at about 280 the accumulator is restored to its regularposition. This occurs from about 310 to 340.

An alternate embodiment of the invention is disclosed in FIG. 23. Thecash register as shown in FIG. 23 is generally patterned after the cashregister described hereinabove, but has two of the main assembliesshifted in a manner which provides certain economies in parts.

Referring to FIG. 23 in greater detail, it shows the main framestructure 702 of the cash register, the keyboard 704, the accumulatorregister 706, the drive assembly 708 and the indicator assembly 710. Asin the case of the case register described in connection with FIGS. 1through 22 of the drawings, the present cash register includes a seriesof flexible digit tapes 712. By shifting the drive line 708 from'aposition below the digit tapes 712 to a position above the digit tapes,the indicator assembly 710 is raised for better visibility, and certaintransfer gearing is eliminated. The transfer gears 7l4serve the samefunctions as described above in connection with the transfer gears 302,but some of the gear assemblies such as gears 304, 306 and 308 may beeliminated. As in the case of the other embodiment of the cash register,the accumulator 706 is shifted both up and down for ADD cycles and tothe rear and forward'for TOTAL' cycles. Apart from the shifting of theposition of the drive line and the concomitant changes in structure suchasthose mentioned above, the embodiment of FIG. 23 operates insubstantially the same manner as that ofthe other embodiment of theinvention.

Concerning the materials which maybe employed in the implementation ofthe illustrated cash register, wide use is made of plastics. One of thepreferred plastic materials isa DuPont material known'as DELRIN. This isa homopolymer of formaldehyde with avery low coefficient of friction,good flexibility and high strength. DELRIN is described, for example, inthe March, 1970, issue of Materials Engineering. The digit tapes may bemade of DELRIN of a thickness of about 0.020 inch as noted above.CELCONis a copolymer of formaldehyde and could also be used for manyother parts of the cash register. Fiberglass-filled nylon is alsoemployed for various parts, for example, for the drive hubs. It is, ofcourse, undesirable to have two parts of the same material havingsurfaces which slide onone' another, as this tends toward increasedfriction and possible binding. Another material which may be usedinclude the frame of the machine, the shafts, and certain keyhigh-strength parts such as the drive sector gear.

The foregoing description has been focused primarily on the structuralfeatures and interrelationships which are different from those found inconventional cash registers. Details of well-known structures andrelationships, and arrangements known to those skilled in the art havebeen eliminated for purposes of brevity and clarity.

As mentioned at several points above, the yieldable plastic tapes whichprovide keyboard-to-accumulator and keyboard-to-display coupling, butwhich may be deflected to save space, are an important Part of theinvention. Instead of flexible plastic tapes, however, other yieldableforce transmitting members could be used to provide those dualfunctions. Thus, toothed racks made in sections, but spring biased tofull extension, could be used in place of the plastic tapes. Hinged racksections or a toothed rubber belt could also be used in place of thedisclosed digit tapes. These would provide many of the advantages of theperforated plastic tapes, although some minor disadvantages andcomplexities of structure would be introduced. As employed in thepresent specifications and claims the term yieldable refers only tointentionally bendable or callapsible members which are actuallyyieldablein operation, and not to rigid metal racks or the like whichmight give or flex to some very slight degree in operation but where nosignificant yielding or bending occurs.

With regard tovarious features of the present invention, it isappropriate to note certain United States and foreign patents which bearcertain relationships with the invented features. Concerning theperforated plastic racks which are operated under tension U.S. Pat. No.2,355,637 of R. Faigle granted Aug. 15, 1944; U.S. Pat. No. 1,883,853,granted Oct. 18, i932 to J. Bergmann; and British Patent No. 280,135 toRudolf Martin, accepted Nov. 10, 1927, are of particular interest inshowing racks which are flexible. However, these prior patentsapparently fail to appreciate the desirability-of making the racks aslightweight as possible and also the importance of operating flexiblecomponents under tension rather than under compression. Thus, instead ofusing perforations the three patents show apparatus which use raisedgear teeth on their flexible racks. The racks in these three priorpatents are pushed instead of beingpulled and they must necessarily bestiffer and heavier and have much greater friction than thetension-operated perforated plastic tapes of the present invention.Further, these references do not appear to contemplate the possibilityof promptly deflectingth'e yieldable tape or rack member at the rear ofthe 1 machine to reduce the depth of the cash register.

Other references which are of interest concerning other features oftheinvention include G.D. Cushman 'et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,878 grantedSept. 17, 1968,

and OM. philipp, U.S. Pat. No. 2,701 ,100 granted Feb.

l, 1955. While the Cushman patent is of passing interest in showing thecoil spring which biases a number of key-type members, in the presentcash register, a single spring is employed not only to bias all of thekeys of a key row, but is also used to bias the slides whichinteractwith the'keys. Concerning U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,100

. this reference discloses interspersed totalizers, but this is the onlyfeature 'which appears to be related to any aspect of the present cashregister.

lld

In the course of the present description of the invention, thecompactness of the cash register has been mentioned at several points.As a matter of completeness,it may be noted that the overall dimensionsof the 5 base or cash drawer upon which the rest of the cash registersits, are approximately inches wide, by 17 inches deep, by 4 incheshigh. The cash register apparatus excluding the cash drawer assembly isapproximately 14 inches wide, by 16 inches deep, by l l inches high.

In closing, it is noted that other known arrangements may be substitutedfor specific components disclosed in the present description, just asyieldable or hinged racks could be used instead of the digit tapes, asnoted above. Other constructional variations could include using theflexible digit tapes of the present invention with other types ofbusiness machines, such as ten-key calculating machines, instead of thefull keyboard cash register discussed above. The stops of the flexibledigit tapes would then engage the stops provided by the pin box formingpart of the keyboard assembly of the tenkey calculator.

What is claimed is:

l. A business machine comprising:

a first set of indicator wheels having external numbers;

a second set of numbered indicator wheels interleaved with said firstset of indicator wheels and mounted on the same axis with said firstset;

means for displaying said first set of indicator wheels to the exclusionof said second set and for displaying the second set of indicator wheelsto the exclusion of the first set; and

means for displaying the digits of the same number from said sets ofindicator wheels simultaneously for viewing from substantially oppositedirections, said display means comprising each of said indicator wheelsof one set associated with one digit position being ganged to anindicator wheel of the other set associated with the same digitposition, thereby to cause both sets to exhibit the same number at anygiven time.

2. A business machine having a display arrangement organized in two setsof display units, each display unit comprising coaxially mounted,interleaved, individually rotatable indicator wheels with numeralsthereon;

the numerals of one set being mounted on one side of the machine, thenumerals of the other set being mounted on the other side of themachine;

linking means for causing each set of indicator wheels, duringoperation, to exhibit at any given time the same number composed ofdigits corresponding to the numerals;

a plurality of paired first and second gears and respective commonshafts secured to each said pair of gears, the distance between thefirst and second gears of each pair being different from that of thefirst and second gear of the other pairs;

the first gear of one pair engaging one indicator units, for permittingviewing of only one set of display units by one person at a given time.

4. A business machine as defined in claim 3 including:

an accumulator having two sets of interleaved coaxial indicator wheels,an apertured mask, and means for shifting said mask to selectivelypermit viewing of one set only of said indicator wheels.

5. A business machine comprising:

a first set of indicator wheels having external numbers;

a second set of numbered indicator wheels interleaved with said firstset of indicator wheels and mounted on the same axis with said firstset;

means for displaying said first set of indicator wheels to the exclusionof said second set and for displaying the second set of indicator wheelsto the exclusion of the first set;

said display .means includes a first set of windows aligned with saidfirst set of indicator wheels for viewing from one direction;

a second set of windows aligned with said second set of indicatorwheels, with the second set of windows being angularly displaced aboutthe axis of said two sets of indicator wheels with respect to the firstset of windows, for viewing from another direction;

and

each of said indicator wheels of one set associated with one digitposition being ganged to an indicator wheel of the other set associatedwith the same digit position, thereby to cause both sets to exhibit thesame number at any given time.

1. A business machine comprising: a first set of indicator wheels havingexternal numbers; a second set of numbered indicator wheels interleavedwith said first set of indicator wheels and mounted on the same axiswith said first set; means for displaying said first set of indicatorwheels to the exclusion of said second set and for diSplaying the secondset of indicator wheels to the exclusion of the first set; and means fordisplaying the digits of the same number from said sets of indicatorwheels simultaneously for viewing from substantially oppositedirections, said display means comprising each of said indicator wheelsof one set associated with one digit position being ganged to anindicator wheel of the other set associated with the same digitposition, thereby to cause both sets to exhibit the same number at anygiven time.
 2. A business machine having a display arrangement organizedin two sets of display units, each display unit comprising coaxiallymounted, interleaved, individually rotatable indicator wheels withnumerals thereon; the numerals of one set being mounted on one side ofthe machine, the numerals of the other set being mounted on the otherside of the machine; linking means for causing each set of indicatorwheels, during operation, to exhibit at any given time the same numbercomposed of digits corresponding to the numerals; a plurality of pairedfirst and second gears and respective common shafts secured to each saidpair of gears, the distance between the first and second gears of eachpair being different from that of the first and second gear of the otherpairs; the first gear of one pair engaging one indicator wheel of oneset associated with a specific digit position; and the second gear ofthe same pair engaging the indicator wheel of the other set which isassociated with the same digit position.
 3. A business machine asdefined in claim 2, comprising means, including windows oriented indifferent directions and registering with said two sets of displayunits, for permitting viewing of only one set of display units by oneperson at a given time.
 4. A business machine as defined in claim 3including: an accumulator having two sets of interleaved coaxialindicator wheels, an apertured mask, and means for shifting said mask toselectively permit viewing of one set only of said indicator wheels. 5.A business machine comprising: a first set of indicator wheels havingexternal numbers; a second set of numbered indicator wheels interleavedwith said first set of indicator wheels and mounted on the same axiswith said first set; means for displaying said first set of indicatorwheels to the exclusion of said second set and for displaying the secondset of indicator wheels to the exclusion of the first set; said displaymeans includes a first set of windows aligned with said first set ofindicator wheels for viewing from one direction; a second set of windowsaligned with said second set of indicator wheels, with the second set ofwindows being angularly displaced about the axis of said two sets ofindicator wheels with respect to the first set of windows, for viewingfrom another direction; and each of said indicator wheels of one setassociated with one digit position being ganged to an indicator wheel ofthe other set associated with the same digit position, thereby to causeboth sets to exhibit the same number at any given time.